


Strange, To See You Again

by sleepymalamute



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Amity Blight Needs a Hug, Amity Blight is a useless lesbian, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Disaster mom Eda Clawthorne, Eventual Smut, F/F, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Luz Noceda, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:13:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25958065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepymalamute/pseuds/sleepymalamute
Summary: Four years ago, Luz Noceda chased a mysterious owl into an abandoned mansion and accidentally stumbled onto another world. But after a summer filled with friends, magic, and adventure (not to mention some very confusing feelings about a certain green-haired witch), Luz found herself trapped in the human world.Now 18, Luz has finally found a way back to the Boiling Isles. But the Isles are not quite the same as how she left them. Eda the Owl Lady's curse has grown worse and worse over the years, and the Emperor's influence has become ever more authoritative. Will Luz be able to save Eda and achieve her dream of becoming a full-fledged witch, despite having lost so much time in the human world? And how will she stand up to the Emperor's Coven when their newest member is none other than Amity Blight?
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 29
Kudos: 380





	1. Cause = Time

Luz's palms were sweating as she checked the time on her phone. T–––8 minutes until the portal would open. The anticipation was making her dizzy. She wiped her hands on her jeans and drummed her fingers against the bulging suitcase sitting beside her on the bus stop bench. A late August breeze teased at her hair. 

It was just over four years since Luz had chased a mysterious owl into an abandoned mansion and accidentally stumbled onto another world. Four years since she had discovered that magic was real and that she could use it. Four years since she first met Eda, King, Willow, and Gus–– the only real friends she had ever had. Four years since she had found the one place she could call home and mean it. 

And today was the anniversary of the day she had been forced to leave all that behind. The hiatus had not been Luz's choice. All summer, the act of lying to Camilia about her true whereabouts had weight heavy on Luz's conscience. After returning from "summer camp," the thought of continuing the charade was unbearable. Worse still, she could think of no way to continue attending Hexside Academy while her mother expected her to return to her studies at their local highschool. So, she told her. 

Luz had predicted that Camilia would flip, but not really flip. Certainly not "move across the country" flip. However, when Luz admitted that Eda needed Luz's exact location in order to open a portal, moving the family from Minnesota to Ohio was exactly what Camilia did. And suddenly, Luz was trapped in the human world with no way out. 

At first, Luz had bargained. Screamed at her mother. Begged. Broke things. Skipped class for months on end and nearly flunked her freshman year of highschool. She read every book on magic she could find, even those that were obviously bogus, trying desperately to find a way back. It was no use. As far as she could garner from the true magical texts she could find, opening a portal from this side was impossible without the aid of a magic staff. Her mother refused to even speak to her about magic or the Boiling Isles, claiming Luz was delusional. Luz didn't understand how Camilia could claim this, given that she had moved across state lines to avoid a magic portal, but her mother refused to engage when Luz pointed this out. 

Luz tried to keep up hope that Eda might be able to locate her in the human world, but as the months dragged on her hopes dwindled. Eda's knowledge of human culture was so flimsy she couldn't even sort trash correctly. Luz didn't want to even think about the kind of disasters that might occur if the Owl Lady and King attempted to navigate a copy of the Yellow Pages. As her chances of returning to the Boiling Isles dwindled, Luz became increasingly depressed. She stopped skipping school in protest, and started skipping it out of apathy. Sophomore year had been a particularly dark time. Her memories of that time were now mostly a hazy blur, Luz curled up in bed pretending to sleep. 

That February, she bought a Greyhound ticket and booked it in the middle of the night. She'd actually managed to make it to Minnesota by the time the cops found her, but it didn't matter in the end. The old abandoned mansion in the woods behind her house was just that–– an old abandoned mansion. No mysterious owl and certainly no magic portal. Eda had probably given up looking for her, and who was Luz to blame her. She went with the cops quietly. When they questioned her about her journey, she played the troubled runaway. The day she arrived back in Ohio, enveloped into the arms of a tearful but stern Camilia, she had never felt number in her life. 

Then, a month into her Junior year of highschool, she found the book. She discovered it in her highschool's library, of all places, inexplicably filed under the "Musical History" section. What had caught her eye were the glyphs running along it's spine. They were faint, but unmistakably the same glyphs she had once used to cast spells. With a sharp intake of breath, Luz ripped it off the shelf. While it had no barcode, it did appear to have once been a library book. One of those old fashion check out cards was glued to the back of the front cover, although the name of the school was too smudged to read on the stamp, Luz recognize the crest: Hexside Academy. She nearly jumped for joy. 

After finding a more private section of the library, Luz nearly tore off the front cover in her eagerness. It was a spell book, each page detailing a different spell and listing its purpose. Most important to Lux, the spell book also featured illustrated glyphs. The spells appeared to be ordered by difficulty, with the easier spells listed nearer to the start. Luz's hands shook as she turned the pages. Every word was like a drop of rain in a desert. God, how she had missed magic. How even the mere reminder of its existence filled her with a wonderful, spontaneous joy. And if that in itself wasn't enough, there was also the spell on page 42:  
_Spell for Transdimensional Communication._  
A spell that would change everything. A spell that would give her a plan. 

Luz had discovered quickly upon her return to the human realm that magic was lessened in here. She could still cast spells, but they were very weak and her powers appeared to dwindle quickly with lack of practice. By the time Luz discovered the spell book, her long sophomore depression had caused her powers to all but evaporate. The only spell she could muster was a small orb of light, barely the size her big toe. For her plan to succeed, Luz was going to need to get her powers back into shape as quickly as possible. Luz began to sneak out to practice spells in the backyard every night after Camilla had gone to bed. It was slow, tedious work. Magic had come to her so easily in the Boiling Isles. Making spells in the human world was far more frustrating in comparison. It felt like trying to run in sand. At the end of a month of sleepless nights (and several near encounters between Camila and the scraps of paper Luz drew her glyphs on), Luz had only succeeded in expanding the size of her light orbs by about a quarter of an inch. Clearly, her plan was going to take some time to achieve. And that's when another idea popped into her head. 

If Luz's grades had been less than desirable in middle school, they'd been abysmal since entering highschool. She flunked too many classes to count and had nearly been in danger of having to repeat sophomore year. Thus, when Camilia came home one day in October to discover her daughter studying at the kitchen table, she could hardly contain her delight. And as fall turned to winter and Luz's grades began to rise, the girl began to talk of colleges. Specifically, one college in particular, an old British university with a reputation for churning out talented writers. Camilia was so delighted to hear her daughter, who just under a year ago would never have spoken with her about anything remotely resembling a future, talk about plans for university that she didn't even complain about the distance. 

Luz would be lying if she said she didn't feel any of that old guilt coming back as she lied to her mother about her actual plans for the future. But college abroad would provide such a convenient cover story. Luz would still be able to visit during holidays, and her mother would be none the wiser. And so, what if she had to lie to achieve that. It was Camilia really, who had forced Luz to choose between the family she had been born to and the family she had found. Luz was simply making that choice. 

Knowing that a spell as complex as Transdimensional Communication would be impossible without enough power and control, Luz didn't even attempt it until she'd retrained herself back to where she'd been when she'd first arrived from the Boiling Ilse. That took her until December of Senior year. When she eventual began to attempt the spell, much trial and error ensued. She played with the size and shape of the glyph, but really in the end it came down to how much magic was required for such a spell. She found the best results following Eda's advice about Wild Magic. She learned to breathe with the world, to hear the magic just below its surface. It pulsed with a faint will, like the heartbeat of some small mammal. 

That Spring, Luz began to try locations other than her backyard. She eventually settled on a little park near the Western side of the city, where she found a greater concentration of magic. She would take the bus there every weekend, and sit and meditate under one of the old oak trees, accumulating magic.

Midway through July, just as Luz was beginning to fear she might actually have to go to England, the spell finally worked. Instead of the glyphs fizzing out after a moment, it kept glowing. And then it began to speak:  
"You've reached the Interdimensional Communications Operator; how may I help you today?"  
Luz was so stunned she forgot how to speak. Instead, she made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a shriek of excitement.  
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" said the glyph.  
"Hi, yes, sorry." Luz pulled herself together, "I'm trying to place a call to the Demon Realm."  
"Of course, and who are you attempting to speak with?"  
"Eda. Eda...Clawthorne?" Luz couldn't remember if they're ever been a time she needed to use Eda's last name.  
"Certainly, I'll patch you through. One moment please.  
A muffled feedback, like a guitar jack being plugged into an amp, and then silence.  
Luz's mouth went very dry.  
"...Eda?" She asked the glyph tentatively.  
"What, who's there?!" An unmistakable rasp came from the Glyph. "If this is the authorities, I know nothing about the arson at the night market!"  
"Eda!" Luz shouted into the glyph. “It’s me, Luz!"  
"Luz?" The voice came distrusting at first. And then softer: "Luz, is that really you?"  
"It's me, I swear it's me." She felt seconds away from tears, but she held them back "Listen, I don't know how much time I have. The magic is so weak in this world."  
"Yes, of course." The bravado returned to Eda's voice. "What are your co-ordinates, I can open a portal right now."  
"No." Luz said firmly. "I mean yes, I do want you to open a portal for me. But not here and not now. There's some stuff I need to wrap up first, But I've got a place and a time, about a month from now."  
"Let me grab some paper"

After some scrabbling, and the sound of what could have been a squeaky toy, Eda gave the all clear and Luz dictated the correct time and co-ordinates. Then she made Eda read it back to her so she could make sure she'd gotten everything correct.  
"Gosh kid," Eda said after they'd finish, "You wouldn’t believe how good it is to hear your voice. When you left I worried...." The spell began to waver, and Eda voice clipped in and out.  
".... King never stopped looking for you."  
Luz didn't say anything. Or rather, she couldn't. Great glob-y tears were falling down her checks and her throat felt on the edge of exploding.  
".... I missed you, kid"  
" 'Missed you too." Was all Luz could choke out before the glyph's glow faded and the line spluttered out.

The month that elapsed between that Transdimensional phone call and where Luz now sat, supposedly waiting for bus headed to the airport, had felt longer than all the longs months she'd spent enacting her plan combined. She'd eased her impatience by reliving all the memories she'd had of the Boiling Isles, the memories that had previously felt too painful–– too dangerous even–– to think of. Memories like the way Eda's laugh contained the hint of a growl. The rush of pure energy the first time she'd successfully cast a spell. The cute thing King did with his paw when he slept. That time Gus, Willow, and her had conjured the Owl House to life.  
And Amity Blight. 

When they'd first met, Luz had assumed the odd tightness in her chest whenever she encountered Amity was the result of her anger towards the green-haired girl's mistreatment of Willow. Then later, as Amity softened, Luz had assumed the feeling was caused by her own awkwardness. But by the time Grom Night rolled around, Luz had come to accept that whatever this feeling was the words to describe it were not going to come easily to her. All she could come up with, on the one occasion she attempted to explain the feeling to Eda, was that the feeling reminded her of the first time she'd stepped out of the portal into the Boiling Isle. The way her sense of fear and wonder had mingled together, becoming almost indistinguishable from one another.  
"Oh, you've got it bad," was all Eda had to offer.  
"Got what bad?" Luz asked. "Am I ill? Or is it a hex? Are there hexes that only effect you when you look at people?"  
Eda gave her a disbelieving look usually only reserved for Hooty, then she snorted.  
"I know you're my apprentice, but you're gonna have to figure this one out for yourself, kid. "

Luz never had managed to figure it out while she remained in the Boiling Isle. Not even when Amity had kissed her. It was a few nights before she was due to return from "summer camp". Lux had been trying to introduce her friends to the concept of sleepovers ("C'mon guys, there's no rule saying we can't have a moonlight conjuring minus the conjuring! We don't have to wait a full year."). Once she'd convinced Eda, her room in the Owl House had quickly become a mess of sleeping mats and old blankets. King was deep into a lecture on the various kinds of venom certain demons could excrete when Luz noticed Amity sneak out of the room. Checking at first to make sure Gus and Willow were focused on King's tale, Luz slipped out after the green haired witch. 

She found Amity in the ruined part of the Owl House, where the stone turret gave way to the sky. Amity was sitting atop what had once been the circular sill of a window, looking out towards the city. She jumped when she noticed Luz.  
"Hey, sorry for slipping away like that. Sometimes I just get a bit overwhelmed at conjuri–– I mean sleepovers.  
"No worries, I just wanted to check in and make sure you were okay. I'll head back now."  
"No." Amity said, shocking both Luz and herself with the assertiveness of her response. "I mean, you can stay if you like."  
Luz took a seat next to her friend and busied herself studying the stars. The slope of the sill caused them to drift closer and closer to one another as the minutes passed. Their thighs were pressed flush with one another by the time Luz turned to Amity, only to discover the girl was staring at her. She was very close, and even in the darkness Luz could see all the details of Amity's face. The place where the green hair dye gave way to reddish-brown roots. The slight asymmetricity of her eyeliner. All the things that would have counted as imperfections on anyone else, but seemed right somehow on Amity. The tightness in Luz's chest felt overripe.  
"Luz?"  
"Yeah."  
"Can I kiss you?"  
"Yes."

The word exited Luz's mouth before she had any time to process what it meant. Amity hesitated for a moment, blushing, and then lifted her lips to Luz's. It wasn't a bad kiss, as far as first kisses go. No banged teeth or caught braces, at least. But Luz remembered feeling surprised at how clumsy the action felt. Kissing always looked so fluid in movies. And nothing written in the countless YA romance novels she'd read could ever prepare Luz for the intensity of Amity's gaze when she pulled away. The way it matched the un-namable tightness in her chest. Luz panicked. Desperately, she search for words to fill the silence between them with something other than Amity's blazing intensity. 

"Ahah, you know I'm always saying people need to normalize platonic affection. Kiss your friends y'know?"  
The voices of Willow and Gus, calling up from the turret's spiral staircase, saved Amity from having to reply but Luz still caught the look of hurt that crossed her face. Amity never brought up the kiss, and in the whirlwind of activity before Luz returned to the human world, neither did she. 

Luz still cringed at that memory. Four years in the human world had given her the time and language to understand what had really happened on that stone turret–– as well as the hindsight to realize what a dumbass she'd been. Always the loner, Luz had never pursued relationships in any way shape or form in the human world. But that hadn't stopped her from noticing people of all genders. She wondered now how things might have played out if she hadn't told Camilia what she'd really been doing during summer camp. If she'd been able to just keep hoping back and forth between the worlds of humans and witches. What would have been different between her and Amity if she'd been given the time to name those emotions?

Luz checked her phone again. It was now one minute past the agreed upon time and no portal had appeared. The bus, which was supposed to be taking her to the airport, had already come and gone. She was sweating profusely, the August sun beating down fiercely against her back. She gritted her teeth as she fought the waves of anxious thoughts crashing down on her. What if Eda had gotten the time wrong, or worse the co-ordinates? Out of the breast pocket of her jean jacket, she pulled a cracked piece of metal and began to rub it between her thumb and forefinger. It was a nervous habit of hers. The trinket belonged to the broken quarter of a friendship bracelet and was the only memento she had of the Boiling Isles. Still rubbing the trinket, she moved her head back and closed her eyes. She reached out for the magic, not with the intentions of using it. Just to touch it, to know it was there. She found it eventually, faint but unmistakably present. The hint of hue in a grey-scale world. The magic's touch calmed her. She relaxed and was woefully unprepared when suddenly the connection strengthened ten-fold. The grey-scale image was suddenly a vivid technicolor. Luz jumped and opened her eyes. Before her, a glowing door was unravelling, folding outward like an accordion. Bolting upright in excitement, she grabbed her suitcase and jumped towards the door. At the edge of the portal, she stuffed the trinket back into her pocket and took a breath. Then, with a mischievous little smile, Luz stepped into another world.


	2. The Good That Won't Come Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mild trigger warning for unhealthy parent/child dynamics and some ableism in this chapter

Downtown Bonesborough was known for its generous assortment of alehouses. Some of them were seedy, the kind of divebars that demons and mercenaries liked to hang around. Others were more upscale, VIP joints you could only get into if you knew someone who knew someone in Emperor Belos' good graces. There were taverns favoured by certain covens and taverns favoured by all. Every witch of legal drinking age in Bonesborough had a favourite spot in the downtown, and arguing over which places had the best beer or the most mysterious bartenders was a popular topic of conversation. 

However, there was one taverna no one spoke of. The Mute Palm was underground, both literally and figuratively. The Tavern rested below a bookshop, located on one of the quieter streets far from the main strip. There was an unspoken agreement among The Mute Palm's patrons that its location not be shared. Other alehouses may have better drinks or better company, but if you wanted anonymity there was no better place in the Demon Realm than The Mute Palm. Naturally, it was Amity Blight's favourite place to get a drink. 

As she descended the stairs, Amity pulled back her cowl and peered into the dark alehouse. Willow and Gus hadn't arrived yet, the tavern was empty except for the barkeep and a lone witch taking sips from a jug of lager. Amity ordered a drink and took a seat in a booth near the back, leaning her staff against the wall. Any booth would have been discreet in The Mute Palm, but she didn't like to hedge her bets. Willow and Gus arrived a few moments later. 

"Sorry we're late." said Willow, clambering into the booth. "Someone's club presentation on Human Sleeping Rituals went overtime."  
"I refuse to apologize." Gus said, "You can't rush good a debate on alarm clocks."  
Amity almost asked what an alarm clock was, and then decided against it.  
"Don't worry about it, I only just got here myself."  
"What's new?" Willow asked after her and Gus had flagged down the barkeep.  
"Oh, not much. Em and Ed are back from Enchantmore for the weekend though."  
"Oh really." There was a sly note in Gus' voice. "Maybe I should hit your brother up for some private tutoring."  
"Ew, Gus!" Amity was never totally certain how serious Gus' crush on Ed was, but even as a joke the thought of the two of them together unsettled her.  
"How are you and Jerbo doing?" Amity asked Willow in a blatant bid to change the subject.  
"We're doing good! He's taking me to plant shopping this Saturday." 

_We're doing good!_ Such an assured statement, and yet Amity had no reason to doubt it. Willow was always so certain in her relationships. The past four years (and her new position as Grudgeby Team Captain) had done a world of good for the once timid witch. Unlike Gus, who had sprouted like an absolute beanpole in junior year, Willow hadn't changed much in appearance. She still had her signature dorky glasses and bushy hair. But maturity had altered these features. Willow wore her imperfections with all the self-confidence of a much older witch. Although Amity was the one who had graduated from Hexside a year early, she often felt as though she was the one racing to catch up with Willow. 

"So," Gus leaned in across the table "How is it?"  
"How is what?" asked Amity.  
"How's the Emperor's Co––"  
Amity barely had time to slap a hand over his mouth before he could finish the sentence.  
"Shut. Up." She hissed across the table. After checking to make sure the barkeep and the other lone patron were not paying attention, she removed her hand.  
"Seriously guys. You cannot say that name when you're with me."  
Gus rubbed his mouth and scowled.  
"I know your parents disapprove of us, but surely they can't stop you from getting drinks with a few friends."  
"It's not just my parents anymore." Amity lowered her voice to a whisper. "If Lilith or any of the others at the coven discover I'm friends with the Owl Lady's apprentices, it would be bad news for all of us. Especially Eda."

"That reminds me." Willow piped up. "Eda invited us over for dinner. She said she had some kind of surprise for us."  
Amity shook her head.  
"I can't. My parents are expecting me. Besides, the chances of me getting followed to the Owl House are too high." All of this was true, but Amity would have been reluctant to visit the Owl House under the best of circumstances. Too many memories.

"Suit yourself," Willow shrugged. "But you are coming to Jerbo's gig tonight, right?"  
"Oh shit." said Amity. "I forgot all about that."  
"Oh, come on, don't bail. When was the last time you even went out?"  
"I go out." Amity defended herself.  
"The Mute Palm doesn't count." Gus said.  
"What? Why doesn't The Mute Palm count?"  
"Amity, seriously? It's a bar for people who hate bars and love hiding."  
"Exactly!"

Willow sighed and shook her head.  
"Look, will you just come? It would mean a lot to Jerbo and the rest of the Detention Coven. They're already terrified that the only people who are going to show are Gus and me. "Besides," Willow reached across the table and took Amity's hand. "Since you graduated, it's like we never get to see you anymore."  
That stung a little. Amity's limited time for her friends wasn't her fault, but she still felt guilty having to sneak around in order to see them.  
"Alright," she said, "But I'll have to bring Ed and Em with me or else they'll be sure to snitch."  
"Absolutely no complaints there," Gus quipped. Amity shot him a withering look.  
"We should go if we're going to be on time at the Owl House." Willow said, checking her watch.  
"Are you sure you can't come?" Gus asked Amity.  
"Yes, but say hi to Eda for me." 

Amity dawdled in the bar for some time after the other two had left. She drank the last quarter of her beer in small sips, playing with a piece of loose fabric that had been partially stripped from the booth. Only when the other patron had left, and the barkeep was beginning to eye her as though he thought she might be short on coin, did she finally stand. With a sigh, she collected her staff, paid the barkeep, and headed home. 

***

Dinner was always a bit of a passive-aggressive affair at the Blight household. Mr and Mrs Blight liked to insist that the family eat together at the dining room table for the sake of "quality time." In reality, the ritual was more of a stage for the parents to pit the children against each other. Edmira, Edric, and Amity were all equally likely to be cast as either the golden one or the problem child at any given moment. With the twins had been away at Enchatmore University, the practice had waned and Amity had been allowed to eat her dinners in her room under the pretence of "working on Coven matters." But with Ed and Em back for the weekend, Mr and Mrs Blight were ready to pounce

"Edric dear, I ran into your Illusion's professor the other day." Mrs Blight said as she speared a potato with her fork. "He informed me you were absent last class."  
"Just a cold, mother." Ed replied.  
"You seem fine now." Mr Blight did not share his wife's sense of subtly.  
"I visited a healer."  
"Well, then next time visit the healer before class. I'm not paying for your schooling so you can laze around in bed."  
"Yes, sir."

The conversation halted for a while, and all that could be heard was a scraping of forks. Then, the silence was broken again by Mrs Blight:  
"Amity, darling."  
Amity tensed. Since her recent appointment to the Emperor's Coven, she'd been mostly spared from her parent's criticism. But she was well aware favor could change at any moment in Blight Manor. 

"Does the Emperor still have you apprenticed under that Clawthorne woman?"  
"Lillith? Yes, me and her are still working together in the abominations division."  
"Her and I" Mrs Blighted corrected. "Well dear, I've been hearing some worrisome chatter about her recently. You know, she's related to that Owl monstrosity? Well, one can't help bad blood I suppose. But there's been some whisperings about her... mental state."  
"Lillith's just been a bit stressed lately." Amity tried to defend her mentor. "There was an encounter with her sister that didn't go as planned, from what I understand."  
"Stress has nothing to do with it. As far as I'm concerned, crazy runs in the family." Mr Blight was stabbing potatoes with all the delicacy of a drill sergeant. "Your mother and I want you to request a transfer. Get a different mentor."  
Amity almost dropped her knife.  
"But mom..." She stopped herself. "Mother, Father, I understand and appreciate your concern. But I assure you, Lillith isn't like Ed–– I mean, the Owl Lady. And besides, there's no better witch in the coven. Especially when it comes to abominations."  
"You misunderstand." Mrs Blight took a sip of her wine. "The Clawthorne woman's... mental faculties are only a part of your father and I's concern. The real problem is the whisperings themselves. You cannot allow yourself to be dragged down by those who have fallen from favor with the Emperor."

Her mother set down the glass and gave Amity a piercing look.  
"Do we make ourselves clear?"  
"Yes."  
Amity stared at her mashed potatoes.  
"Wonderful! I've already filled out the transfer form and left it on your desk, you'll just need to sign it. Now Emira, we really need to talk about what you've done with your hair...."

***  
Amity was reading at her desk when Ed and Em entered her room.  
"Man, some family dinner huh, mittens?" Ed flopped down on Amity's bed. Amity's palisman, a tabby cat named Leo, padded over to smell his outstretched hand.  
"Honestly I feel like Dad wasn't on his usual game. He didn't even threaten to hex you Ed. That's new." 

Em peaked over Amity's shoulder to see what she was reading. "Azura again? How many books does this witch even have?"  
"It's actually Amura, Azura's youngers sister. And she's a demon hunter in this one, not a witch."  
"Whatever, dork. Hey, what's this."  
Amity noticed what Em had picked up a heartbeat too late. Her sister snatched the sketchbook away before Amity could grab it back.  
"Y'know mittens, these aren't half bad." Em flipped through Amity's sketches as the younger sister made a desperate grab for the book.  
"Give it back, Em." 

Amity drew a circle in the air and tried to spell the book back to her with a small portal, but Em was too fast and tossed the book to Ed. Laughing, Ed caught the book. Leo hissed at the sudden commotion, and ran off to his resting place on Amity's staff. Laughing gleefully, Ed leafed through the book. When the smile fell from his face, Amity knew he'd found _that_ page. She tore the sketchbook away from her brother.

"What? Did you find mitten's porn?" Em asked, seeing the look on Ed's face.  
Ed ignored her and looked at Amity instead.  
"You still miss her."  
It was a statement, not a question. Amity looked away.  
"Oh." Em said, cluing into what was going on.  
"They're old drawings, okay." Amity turned away from the twin's worried expressions and stuffed the book into a drawer of her desk. 

Throughout her life, Amity's older siblings had subjected her to all manner of torment. They'd stolen her diary, defaced her possessions, and embarrassed her in front of various friends and peers too many times to count. One time, when Amity had been quite young, Em had even pushed her down the stairs on a tricycle and broken the younger sister's collarbone (Em claimed she was simply trying to see if tricycles could fly, but Amity had her doubts about that excuse). While the Blight siblings got a long far better now than they had as children, there was still nothing Ed and Em wouldn't tease Amity about. Nothing, that is, except Luz the Human. Ever since Luz's disappearance four years prior, the Blight twins had given Amity a wide berth with that topic. Feeling the weight of their concern now, Amity almost wished they’d go back to bullying her. 

Looking to change the subject, Amity remembered Jerbo's gig.  
"Hey, wanna do something mom and dad would disapprove of tonight?"  
The twins' eyes lit up.  
"Do we ever!" They said in unison. Then, looking at each other: "Jinx. Double Jinx. Triple¬-––"  
"Okayyyyy..." Amity interrupted. " Twin telepathy aside. It's a punk gig. You two down for that?"  
"Hmm, that's a tough one." said Em. "On the one hand, we'll have to be around sweaty teenagers..."  
"...but on the other hand." said Ed. "Cheap beer."  
The twins looked at each other for a moment, then nodded.  
"Cheap beer wins" said Ed. "Meet back here in 10?"  
"Sounds good to me." said Amity. 

The twins departed to freshen up, and Amity took the time to touch up her eyeliner. Then, making sure her door was locked first, Amity opened her desk drawer and pulled her sketch book back out. She flipped through the book until she found the page Ed had been looking at. It was covered in dozens of pencil sketches, all portraits of the same short-haired girl. Amity stared at them for a while, then took out a pencil and fixed some of the cross-hatching on one of the portraits. 

Someone knocked at the door.  
"Mittens, you coming or what?"  
Amity slammed the book shut and shoved it roughly back into her desk.  
"Coming!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, remember how I said I was gonna update this weekly? Well, I couldn't stop thinking about this fic today so here's a very early update. Chapter 3 will genuinely take me longer though, as I'm pretty busy this next week. 
> 
> A huge thank you to all the encouraging comments on the last post. I can't say enough how much the positive feedback meant to me and I'm so excited to have some readers!
> 
> Brownie points to anyone who catches what the chapter titles are referencing!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first fanfiction, so thank you for taking the time to read it. 
> 
> I'm hoping to update this weekly, but I also work full-time so we'll see about that. I realize this chapter was a bit slow, but I promise next will have some more speed to it (It'll be from Amity's perspective!)


End file.
